Red Eyes

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Thank you  for your kind words and condolences. My grandmother’s funeral was Tuesday.  I was asked to do the eulogy by my mom and my aunt. In some ways I’ve always known I would be the one to speak for my grandmother. Yet you don’t exactly plan for something like that. I was able to run my words by my coworkers the night before the funeral.

I was nervous, but determined to honor my grandmother in the best way possible. I got up to the podium after communion. I took a deep breath and began. My voice cracked in the beginning and I took another breath. From there on in it was as though Noni grabbed my hand and took all the nerves away. I spoke from my heart. Though I did not intend to make people cry I was later told there wasn’t a dry eye in the church. Noni will be missed, but she will be remembered with smiles and laughter.

As we were getting ready to leave the luncheon to pick up Carlos at school I pulled my phone out of my coat pocket to find 4 missed calls from the school nurse. Ahhhh! I pretty much always have my phone attached to me. The one day I don’t…The nurse called about 10 minutes earlier and was concerned that one of his eyes was red and itchy. No emergency just have it checked out. The next morning both eyes looked red so off to the pediatrician we went. After a day of antibiotic ointment all redness has resolved and it’s back to school tomorrow!

We treated today as a true sick day and stayed in our pajamas all day. I cooked, cleaned, washed all the bedding and we colored and snuggled. In case you want to know it’s 6pm and I’m still in my pajamas! I have to work tonight anyway so I figured I will just shower and get ready before work. I haven’t had one of these days in forever. It felt good to stay home and take my time doing everything.

I was excited to read that the Philadelphia Marathon has opened up 3000 slots via lottery to anyone registered to run the NYC Marathon that was cancelled due to the hurricane. My heart goes out to all the people impacted by the storm as well as those who trained for months to run the marathon.

I am still heading to Philadelphia next weekend though I will be going alone without my cheer leaders this time. Logistically things just didn’t work out to have Carlos and Orlando join me though we are all disappointed. I even toyed with not going, but honestly I need to do this race. So I will be flying to Philly on Saturday, running 26.2 on Sunday morning and returning to Massachusetts Sunday evening. Craziness!!

 

Peace

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My Noni passed away early this morning. In one sense we are relieved that she is no longer in any pain or suffering. However, we are incredibly sad that she is no longer with us and will miss her dearly every day.

Noni and Carlos

Comfort Care

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Thank you so much for the kind comments and emails about my grandmother. She is being cared for by both the nursing home and hospice nurses. The goal is to keep her comfortable and pain free. It’s never easy to see a loved one as they near the end of life. As a nurse I have gone through this process with a number of patients, but never a loved one. In my nearly 40 years I am so blessed to have so much of my family and friends still with me.

Question #2 on the Massachusetts ballot next Tuesday is the Death with Dignity Initiative which essentially would allow for a terminally ill patient to receive a prescription for a lethal medication. Of all 3 ballot questions this is the most difficult for me. On the surface I believe that everyone has the right to die with dignity, but in delving deeper into the proposal I came away with many questions and what if scenarios; namely what if the diagnosis was incorrect. Another grave concern is the potential misuse by someone other than the patient of such a prescription.

I think more important than offering lethal drugs to people medical education for both doctors and nurses should include more instruction on comfort care for patients nearing the end of life. One of the most frustrating things I have witnessed with my grandmother over recent days is the reluctance to give her more pain medication. She has been in a lot of pain. Even this morning when I went to visit, the first thing she told me was that she was hurting. She is on a morphine drip as of yesterday. Thankfully the hospice nurse was aware of her pain and was working on an order to increase the dose.  As a granddaughter I have sat dutifully by her side as much as possible holding her hand, rubbing her back and helping her change her position in bed. As a nurse I have sat quietly cringing at the lack of attention paid to my grandmother’s pain relief. Nurses comment that she just had something an hour ago or are nowhere to be found. About a week ago a doctor commented that “we don’t want her taking too much pain medication.” Why, I thought, if it makes her feel more comfortable then why not?

Noni is a tough cookie. She is still somewhat alert and aware of who we are when we are in her presence. I wish I could take her home and sit with her all day. It breaks my heart to be away from her, but we are all doing the absolute best we can to manage our lives minimally while we spend as much of the time we have left with Noni.

The one thing that has brought her more joy than anything else in the past 6 years has been her only great grandchild. Carlos and Noni were two peas in a pod. They sang together, colored, played and hugged. I’m beyond proud of my little guy. He has been incredible with Noni. Many children would be frightened or uncomfortable in a nursing home. Carlos has quickly won his way into the good graces of both residents and staff at the nursing home. He has pushed Noni in the wheelchair, covered her with blankets and even fed her. He holds her hand and hugs and kisses her. He understands as much as he should for his age. I am honest, but I keep it at his level.

I don’t want to close on a sad note. Noni is 86 years old and has lived a long and wonderful life. So I will end with some fun facts about my grandmother.

  • her parents were originally from Italy
  • when Noni’s father came through Ellis Island they changed his last name from Fusco to Fento
  • her father lived until the age of 92
  • she is the only surviving child of her parents 5 children
  • Noni supported herself and two daughters by working as a hairdresser in their home and then later got a job at a local hospital to provide for her retirement. It’s no secret where my work ethic comes from.
  • When I was a teen ager I told Noni I was going to see a concert with Ratt and Poison. She just shook her head and laughed. She then told her friends and coworkers that I was off to go see “Rat Poison.”
  • Noni always made homemade sauce, tortellini and ravioli, needless to say neither Ragu nor Chef Boyardee were welcome in our cabinets!
  • Noni never took time off from work except for the 2 weeks every September to make fried dough at the well known fall fair in our area, otherwise known as The Big E.
  • She drove until about 2 years ago. Her car was a huge white Chevy aka The White Shadow.
  • When she was in her 70s Noni took a part-time job at a nearby elementary school as a lunch room attendant. She worked at the job until she was 84. She adored the children and they loved her. They all called her Grandma.

To me she will always be Noni. Thanks for letting me share.

I do have a marathon training update in the works as well as post marathon fitness plans. I want to wish Jacky over at Jax House  lots of good luck as she gets ready to run the NY Marathon on Sunday. Word this morning was that it is definitely on despite the destruction from hurricane Sandy. I am super excited for her.

 

 

My Noni

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My Noni has always been one of the most special people in my life. Aside from being her first grandchild I was also born on her birthday. Here we are on our most recent birthday this past August.

Birthday Girls

I know that no matter what she claimed about loving all of her grandchildren the same there was no denying that special bond we shared. I could gush on and on about what a truly wonderful person she is, not a bad, jealous, ill willing bone in her body. However, I’m drained emotionally and physically right now.

Noni is in the end stages of colorectal cancer. Last Friday she had a stroke. On Monday she was placed in a nursing home. This has pained my family greatly. My Mom and my aunt, her only children, struggled with the decision, but she cannot be alone for her own safety. Despite my grandmother’s pleas for the better part of her elderly life to remain as long as possible in her home she is, much to our surprise, very happy at the nursing home so far. She keeps telling us how comfortable she is and how nice everyone is being to her.

She is not the same though. She is very weak and tires easily. Her left side is nearly immobile. She needs assistance with everything including eating and repositioning herself in bed. She sleeps a lot, eats very little, chit chats with us briefly and occasionally allows us to wheel her to other parts of the nursing home.

I’ve been going to the nursing home everyday to be with her, sometimes twice a day. It’s where I need to be and want to be right now.

Sitting Out

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I always try to show a positive attitude here. I’m blessed with health, family and a good job. So rather than write a long paragraph justifying my right to feel like crap once in a while I’m just going to say it…I can’t run and it hurts physically and emotionally. I hate it! I mad, sad, frustrated and annoyed.

I ran my longest long run last week, 22 miles. It went quite well or so I thought. Two days later I felt a twinge of an ache above my ankle on the back side of my leg. I stopped running. I haven’t run since Sunday. The area is sore and the soreness increases to pain whenever I increase my activity. I couldn’t pin point the location so I wasn’t sure it was my Achilles again. I was feeling great today so I decided to take advantage of my afternoon alone and go for a slow stroll at the college. When I say slow I’m talking I walked at a very leisurely pace. I read blogs on my phone and drank tea. Little by little the pain behind my leg just above my ankle increased. Upon returning to my car I had to walk uphill and that’s when I knew it was my Achilles.

All signs point to Achilles tendonitis. I will try to write a more detailed post later as I learn more, but essentially running is a really horrible idea right now. I’m writing this to reach out to my blog friends. I need some words of wisdom and support. I am mad as hell. I have worked so hard training for this marathon and I’ll be damned if I can’t run it. Having dealt with this back in late spring I’m certain with proper care that I will be able to run the marathon which is a month away on 11/18.

I know there are much bigger problems in the world. I don’t mean to be unnecessarily dramatic. I just never imagined not being able to run would break my heart this way. I was passed by no less than 20 runners on my walk and my heart surged every time they ran by. I wasn’t jealous. I felt sad. These injuries have made me realize how much running has become an integral part of my life both for my physical health and my mental well being.

I need to stay active without risking further injury. I need to watch my diet very carefully because stress = emotional eating for me which obviously leads to weight gain. If I’m going to run this marathon without the last couple weeks of training then I need to be wise. Please offer up any advice from your own experience or that of your family or friends.

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Quick and Random

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I have an appointment at 9:20 tomorrow morning at the Apple store. My computer and phone calendars are not syncing through that stupid cloud. I’m constantly checking both to make sure I don’t miss anything. Meanwhile my running schedule is on makeshift calendars I have drawn up on various pieces of scrap paper. Oh how very 2012!

I also haven’t been able to upload the photos from the Bahamas. My computer mumbled something about my Startup Disk being nearly full. Oh I don’t know. I’ve managed to clear off a number of photos. I had all intentions of uploading the photos tonight only to discover my camera batteries were both dead. I guess it will have to be tomorrow.

I love technology, really I do. I just get so frustrated when I don’t know enough about it to resolve my own problems. So instead of writing posts I googled the crap out of my above issues for days to no avail thus the appointment at Apple.

Remember at the end of August when I said I would have so much more time on my hands once my son started full day Kindergarten. Well I don’t know where the extra time goes. I don’t exactly know how I did it when he was in preschool for a half day only three days a week. I know that part of my problem is how long I spend on my workouts. I’m so excited about the marathon, but I’m definitely anxious to complete training and move on to a less demanding workout schedule.

As always I can’t believe another week has gone by so quickly. I really enjoyed this week’s FMM. The questions are fun and some took me quite a while to answer. If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can see your FMM questions. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Quick and Random

1. Choose three songs that would be on the soundtrack of your life.

“Miss Independent” – Kelly Clarkson

“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” – Nina Simone

“Changes” – David Bowie

2. Share the details of one project that you’re currently working on.  I am very slowly organizing all of my photos and eventually I will have some printed to frame and display on my barren walls. My hard drive is painfully overloaded with photos and music. I’ve been shifting photos over to a couple of different places. Even though I use an online backup service I’m petrified of losing all of my photos. How do you backup your photos and iTunes?

3. If you could learn to do one thing overnight what would it be? I would learn how to twitch my nose (see next question!!).

4. If you could be a fictional character which one would you be?  Samantha from Bewitched. That nose twitching power would come in very handy in so many aspects of life.

5. What’s your favorite thing about the month of October?  I love everything, the colors of the foliage, the scents of pumpkin spice, cinnamon and apples, the cooler temps and so much more.

6. Share one TV show that you’re embarrassed to admit you watch.  I watch Drop Dead Diva on Netflix. Is that embarrassing? Maybe I should be embarrassed that I’m watching Handy Manny with my son right now, but I’m not.

7. Name one friend that you’re thankful to have in your life today.  I’m thankful for my friend Kerry who called me today to talk about her weight struggles. The chat inadvertently ended up encouraging me and making me feel better about my recent efforts.

8. What was the most relaxing part of your weekend?  Work. Seriously I spent most of Saturday and Sunday at the soccer field. Carlos is now playing on two different teams. Of course the games aren’t back to back so sometimes there are hours between the two games so I went back and forth to the field. This weekend was soccer pictures which meant arriving 45 minutes early. I did a lot of running around including grocery shopping on Sunday. So yes work turned out to be the most relaxing part of my weekend since the unit was full and most of the patients slept well.

9. Do you like to dance?  I love to dance. My husband loves to dance too. Carlos and I enjoy having kitchen dance parties and also doing Wii Just Dance.

10.  Share one thing that you’re looking forward to before the end of the year.  I am really looking forward to completing the Philadelphia marathon on November 18th.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.  Don’t forget to visit Kenlie’s blog and link up in the comments!

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Inside Your Home

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I woke up to this view yesterday morning.

A Room with a View

My husband, son and I enjoyed a long weekend in the Bahamas. We returned late last night just in time for me to shower, change and get to work for 11pm. It was well worth it though. We had a relaxing, fun filled, much deserved break. A post is in the works, but as I get back in the swing of things I am grateful for Friend Makin’ Monday today.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can see your FMM questions. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Inside Your Home

1. Do you live in an apartment/condo, townhouse or house?  I live in a modest 1920s three bedroom colonial.

2. What is your home’s coolest feature? I would have to say the beautiful hardwood floors as well as the wood burning stove in our dining room.

Wood burning stove and hardwood floors in the dining room

Hardwood Stove

I can tell you its coolest feature is definitely not that ceiling fan visible in the first photo. Uggghhh! The thing doesn’t even work.

3.  Do you enjoy DIY projects?  If so, what are you working on now?  I would love to channel my inner Young House Love (I adore YHL!), but truth be told, I have zero creativity. However, I never say never. One of these days I might just get my DIY on and create something fabulous or even just something mediocre. That would be better than where I’m starting from.
4. When using the dishwasher do you use powder detergent or liquid?  Get ready for it…my home does not have a dishwasher. We do the dishes the old fashioned way and use whatever liquid dish soap is on sale.
5. Do you have a TV in your bedroom?  We own one TV and it’s in the living room. From my teen years through my early 20s I always had a TV in my bedroom. I didn’t realize how poorly I slept until I lived in Mozambique and had no television at all. My husband grew up without TV and has never pushed to have one in our bedroom.
6.  Is your range gas or electric?  It’s a gas stove which I enjoy much more than electric.
7.  How often do you sweep/mop/vacuum?  I’m obsessed with my Bissell FeatherWeight Vacuum. It lives plugged in, in the bathroom because I hate hair on the bathroom floor and I seem to lose hair like crazy. So I zip that thing around the bathroom about 10 times a day. It is so light and easy to use on our hardwood floors that I tend to do a quick vacuum around the entire house daily.

FeatherWeight™ Vacuum

I also have a larger vacuum that I can use on the carpet on the front porch and our area rug in the dining room. I break that baby out about 3 times/week. I never sweep my house. I loathe mopping, but I do the kitchen and bathroom once a week and the rest of the floors once a month or as needed.

8.  What is your favorite place to shop for home furniture and accents? In my dream world it is Pottery Barn. I have yet to embark on a journey to the mecca of Ikea. The closest one is about 90 minutes away. I like Target and Crate & Barrel too. Honestly though I can’t remember the last time I bought anything for the house.
9.  Do you decorate for holidays?  Yes, only it looks more KMart than Martha Stewart so I tend to go easy with the decorations.
10.  If you could have HGTV come in and redo one room in your home which room would you choose?  My kitchen please!

Outdated kitchen – HELP!

We had big plans this year to either renovate the kitchen or bathroom, but other things needed to be attended to like replacing pipes and removing trees whose roots had attacked and burrowed through the aforementioned pipes creating a nasty recurrent plumbing issue.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.  Don’t forget to visit Kenlie’s blog and link up in the comments!

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Uniquely You

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This weekend flew by. Carlos had a soccer game on Saturday, two soccer games and ice skating on Sunday. I am in the midst of working a six nights so that I can extend my days off at the end of the week. I’ve been cranking along with marathon training. My runs have been really great lately. I love my new new running tank tops. I wish the weather would stay warm enough to keep wearing them. I’m hoping Philly has a mild warm front the day of the marathon.

I cannot believe it’s Monday again which means Friend Makin’ Monday.  If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can see your FMM questions. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 

Uniquely You

 

1) Do you prefer to talk or text?

I actually prefer to text. I love my iPhone but the phone quality stinks and it’s often difficult to hear people or worse the call gets dropped. Plus I communicate better in writing.

2) How often do you make your bed?

Absolutely everyday! Most days my husband makes the beds because I get home after he and Carlos get up.

3) What sounds do you hear right now?

The hum of the washing machine in the basement. It’s awfully quiet now that the little guy is in school all day.

4) List three things that you always carry with you.

iPhone, water and keys (No I don’t carry my wallet all the time especially when I go running. One car break in was enough!)

5) What are your favorite TV shows?

I just discovered Drop Dead Diva on Netflix and love it. I also like the Amazing Race though I missed last season. Hopefully I can watch the new season online. I love How I Met Your Mother, but I haven’t seen any of last season so no spoilers please!

6) Is there a hobby that you’d like to devote more time to?

I would love to have time to learn more about photography.

7) What is your favorite drink?

Water

8) Share a couple of cool facts about your family.

My sister and my son have the same birthday. My grandmother and I have the same birthday.

9) List one thing that you will do for yourself today.

I will run 10 miles.

10) Share something that you’re thankful for today.

I’m always thankful for my husband and son so I will go with something else. I am thankful to have a job I enjoy and wonderful, supportive co-workers (they don’t even mind me blabbing about running).

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.  Don’t forget to visit Kenlie’s blog and link up in the comments!

Summer Races: Lake Placid/North Elba Half Marathon

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Maybe if someone had told me that I could combine travel and running I would have began running much sooner. I had mentioned back in the spring that I would be running a half marathon at the end of September in Lisbon, Portugal. I was so psyched to run an international race. We planned to combine the experience with a week of travel in Portugal. Unfortunately we discovered that my husband would need to go through a lengthy process to secure a visa. He is a permanent resident of the U.S. and we have never run into a situation where he required different travel documents. We also found the flights to be offered at extremely inconvenient times resulting in the loss of 1-2 full days due to travel. The flights were very expensive and seemed to increase in price every time we checked on them. For a couple of hundred dollars more we could fly to Mozambique to visit my in-laws.

After much deliberation we decided to forego the trip, rationalizing that it was not practical nor financially feasible for only a week away. We were both really disappointed, but the shorter trip we have planned in early October is undoubtedly going to be a huge hit with Carlos. We are pretty excited about it too, but more on that in a couple of weeks.

Since I wasn’t going to be running the half in Lisbon I began looking around for another September half marathon to include in my marathon training plan. I found one in a place I’ve never been and always wanted to visit. Another bonus was being able to coordinate a visit to see my friend and former Peace Corps site mate, her husband and their adorable baby boy. Without hesitation I registered for the 42nd Annual Lake Placid/North Elba Half Marathon on Saturday, September 8th.

We headed up to Lake Placid late in the afternoon the day before the race. By the time we got to the town it was dark. I arrived with just enough time to grab my race packet. We continued on to our hotel, the beautiful, rustic White Face Lodge. Upon arrival we were told we were being upgraded to a Deluxe One Bedroom Suite and it was gorgeous. The bedroom was on the second floor. There were two fire places, a balcony, full kitchen, and a bath and a half. We want to live there.

Yup I’m that person who takes pictures of bathrooms

The bed was so comfortable and the room very cozy

The Whiteface Lodge

The morning of the half marathon I was planning to have my usual banana and peanut butter toast. The breakfast buffet was included with our room. Everything looked and smelled amazing, but lo and behold no bananas, no peanut butter and no toast. Well there were bagels and I probably could have asked for peanut butter. Since I was already short on time I broke rule #1 of running a race. I abandoned my running rituals and did something different on race day. I ate a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and nuts (gasp!). Oh and I also wore a new shirt which I love by the way, but race day is not the time or place to be trying out new running apparel.

A little blurry, but we got the pre-race photo!

The race began at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval. Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980. Pre-race I had some time to walk around the oval and read about the olympians who skated there. If standing on the same ground Olympians once stood on isn’t inspiring I don’t know what is.

This was a small race with only 192 participants. We set off promptly and ran up Main Street through the center of Lake Placid before circling Mirror Lake. The weather was absolutely perfect for running, high 60s and overcast. The course was revised this year and followed a different route from past years. We ran past the Olympic Ski Jumps. Orlando and Carlos toured the ski jumps while I was running. From just before the ski jumps the course followed an out and back course. It was beautiful with the colorful autumn leaves, surrounding mountains and a rambling river.

As the ski jumps came into view on the turn around the wind picked up in our direction. It was forceful and felt as though an entire football team was trying to keep me back. It slowed me down some, but I kept pushing through. About a quarter of a mile before the end we had to climb a pretty big hill. I knew it was coming because we had already run down it miles before. I conquered the hill as quickly as possible but that basically amounted to a really fast walk.

The race ended at the North Elba Horseshow Grounds. As I rounded the corner into the parking area on the grounds I could see the people cheering. This race was not a spectator race, but not unlike the finish area of most races this one was lined with cheering spectators as well. Having people clap and cheer as you run by never gets old! I spotted the time clock ahead. Up until this point I had absolutely no idea of my time.

Recently Marion from Affection for Fitness wrote about fitness magic. Did you know that chickens could fly? I didn’t. Marion asks if you ever felt like a chicken who couldn’t fly. I think I have been feeling that way most of my life especially when it comes to fitness.  I was never inactive per say. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I wasn’t ACTIVE. I am the girl who almost failed gym because I wouldn’t participate. I remember going for walks with my college roommate with the intent of exercising, but we smoked the entire way. I have joined countless gyms in my life. I have tried various activities to incorporate exercise into my life and most have lasted oh about 3 days.

Running is what finally gave me my wings and during this particular race I felt my fitness magic. Perhaps it was the Olympic spirit present in the air, but when I crossed that finish line in 2:10:12, a full 4 minutes 35 seconds faster than my last half marathon, I felt like I was flying for the first time in my life.

So like Marion asked in her post have you found your fitness magic? If not would you like to?

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Fall Favorites

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If you have taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s questions on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so others can see your FMM questions and answers. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers by posting your own FMM post and commenting on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

 

Fall Favorites

 

1. What is your favorite thing about this time of year?  I love the colors, smells and feel of fall. I love settling back into sweaters and jeans. I love the cool crisp air. You can’t beat running in the fall. Ok I can’t choose just one thing I love about fall. It’s my favorite time of year.

Fall at the Quabbin Reservoir

2. What do you hope to do again before Summer is officially over? Too late it’s officially over! However, next week we are hoping to catch a little extra summer before winter arrives so I will be getting a pedicure and breaking out the flip flops, bathing suit and summer dresses for a short time.

3. When did you last go on a hay ride?  A few weeks ago at the orchard where we went apple picking.

4. What is your favorite pumpkin dish?  I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin in my oats, pumpkin in my yogurt but I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie.

My little pumpkin in 2008

 

My little pumpkin in 2010

5. Do you decorate your home for fall?  I do. I am beginning to restore my fall decoration collection after finding my bin of decorations moldy and wet a few years ago. I must have left the lid open when I put them away the season before. I try to buy one nice decoration each year. I also attempt to put a few pots of mums out on the front steps.

6. Do you have any hobbies that are seasonally specific? If so, what are they?  No, I don’t have any fall hobbies but I enjoy doing activities common in the fall like apple picking, picking out pumpkins, corn mazes and leaf peeping.

First time apple picking for both of us – 2011

Apple picking – 2012

7. Apple cider or hot chocolate? Hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick. Hot chocolate is a winter treat for me.

8. Are you a fan of football?  If so, who is your team?  I do like football. I just don’t have the time to watch it. I am a New England Patriots fan. Yes even after the crap they played yesterday and last Sunday. I’m also a UMass Amherst alum and would love to start going to a game or two each fall, but they just went up a division and now play in Foxboro, MA at Gillette Stadium where the Patriot’s play which is about 90 minutes away. They’re not very good, but I guess if they want to play in a higher division they have to have a bigger stadium.

9. Share a fond Fall memory.  My best fall memories have been made since Carlos was born. Now we do all of those “fall things” together and have lots of photos to cherish the memories. Probably the best fall memories are made by jumping in the leaves. It makes me a kid again. We enjoy the gorgeous fall hikes in our area. We did a really fun corn maze last year. Carving the annual jack-o-lantern with Carlos is always a blast. He has made my favorite time of year a million times better.

Carlos’ first fall brought so many memories most notably it was when he learned to walk.

First Leaf Pile of 2009

10. It’s not Fall until…The leaves start crunching under my feet. On Saturday, Carlos and I took a long walk on a new to us bike trail and we both seemed to notice at the same time that the leaves were crunching under our feet because we looked at each other and said “it’s fall.” What have I done to this poor child? It seems Carlos loves the fall too.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.  Don’t forget to visit Kenlie’s blog and link up in the comments!

So I guess it’s kind of obvious that I adore fall. Here are a few other favorite things about the fall season in case you haven’t had enough yet:

Favorite candle scent – Macintosh apple

Favorite apple – you guessed it Macintosh

Favorite fall recipe – this Maple Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole from Angela at Oh She Glows. I’ve already made it once this season and I will likely make it a few more times. It is like dinner and dessert all rolled into one. If you haven’t visited Angela’s blog please do. She creates some of the most delicious vegan dishes not to mention the visual appeal of her photos.

OK that’s enough right?! I’ll stop now. I hope you’re having a great Monday. I’m off to pick up the little guy at school and then we are headed to the playground with some friends from school (this is more for the moms but it’s a win/win). Happy Fall!